


Seasons Change- Flowers Bloom and Die

by Tsubame_go



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Character Death, Forest guardian!Jonghyun, M/M, kind of fairy tale-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 06:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13229781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsubame_go/pseuds/Tsubame_go
Summary: Gathering firewood deep in the forest, Minhyun meets someone who isn't from the village.





	1. ~

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if this is super rough- I wrote it in one day.
> 
> I usually don't listen to music when I write but I listened to a playlist of Kajiura Yuuki songs while writing this. You can listen to them while you read if you want that feeling.
> 
> I apologize in advance for how this ends.

-Winter-

Minhyun first met him in the dead of winter, after wandering a bit off the forest path to look for firewood dry enough for his family to use.  The winter was cold and harsh and the whole village was running low on supplies; they were struggling to survive.  Minhyun hadn’t expected to meet anyone off the path so deep into the snow-blanketed woods, so at first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when he spotted a lone figure moving between the trees.  But even after he blinked several times, attempting to clear whatever mirage the silent frozen woods might have conjured up in front of him, the figure remained clear and real.

 

“H-Hello?”  Minhyun called out to the person.

 

When he turned towards Minhyun, Minhyun noticed that the clothes he wore didn’t seem warm enough for the winter day.  The man wasn’t wearing a hood, his head of dark hair and pale neck were exposed to the cold.  He wore a grey-brown tunic and trousers that were almost the same color as the bark of the trees around them.  His dark eyes seemed to pierce Minhyun when their eyes meet, and the man’s pale lips parted a little, mouth hanging open as if in shock.

 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”  Minhyun said.  “Are you from the village?”

 

“No.”  The man answered, shaking his head.  “What are you doing so far into the forest?”

 

“My family needs dry wood for our cook fire.”  Minhyun explained.  “I came out here to look for some but it’s hard to find.”

 

“Oh.”  The man murmured softly.  “Let me help you then.  Follow me.”  He walked forward passed Minhyun, heading in a direction even further from the path.

 

“Thanks!”  Minhyun said, hurrying after him.  “You’ll be able to take me back, right? I’m not sure I know the way back to the path from here.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Minhyun followed the man deeper into the forest for what felt like an hour.  Finally, they reached a clearing surrounded by the largest trees Minhyun had ever seen.  The huge canopy above them sheltered the clearing from the snow.  Once Minhyun was done starring up at the branches in wonder, he noticed that the man was gesturing to what appeared to be a large pile of sticks at the far edge of the clearing.

 

“This used to be a woodrat’s den but they didn’t survive the cold.”  The man told Minhyun.  Minhyun thought he sounded a little sad.  “I think the wood should be dry enough for your fires.”

 

“Yes, it is!”  Minhyun marveled, and quickly began to gather up as much as he could.  The man stood over Minhyun, staring at him intently as he worked. 

 

“Can you take me back now?”  Minhyun asked once he had gathered up all the wood he could carry.  The man nodded, and strode back towards the direction they had some from.  Despite being burdened with all the firewood he had collected, the way back seemed almost shorter than the way to the clearing.  It seemed to take barely half an hour before the man pointed out the trail back to the village just ahead of them.

 

“Thank you so much!”  Minhyun told the man. “Without your help my family might have starved or froze! I… I don’t even know your name! Who are you?”

 

“Jonghyun.”  The man answered.  “I hope the rest of the winter passed smoothly for you and your family.”

 

Minhyun nodded and thanked Jonghyun one more time before hurrying back to the path.  Before he started back to the village, Minhyun turned back to look into the trees, hoping to catch one last glance of Jonghyun, but all he could see was the frosted tree trunks and bare branches.  Jonghyun had disappeared.

 

-Spring-

Minhyun didn’t meet him again until the frost begun to melt and he ventured into the woods again.  The wood Jonghyun had helped him find last time was finally starting to run out and Minhyun wanted to look for mushrooms and wild onions.  He spotted Jonghyun perched in the branches of an oak tree off of the trail.  Jonghyun’s clothes were a lighter brown than when Minhyun saw him during the middle of winter, and there were patches of green at the edges of his tunic.  The tone of his skin seemed to have changed as well, to a warmer, peachier tone that looked a lot healthier than the pale alabaster tone his skin had been when Minhyun saw him last.  His eyes were a lighter brown, and so was his hair.  When Minhyun got closer he noticed what appeared to be green buds nestled amongst Jonghyun’s chestnut locks.  Jonghyun didn’t seem to be aware of Minhyun approaching until he was almost directly beneath the branches of the oak; his eyes were fixed on a squirrel chattering on a branch higher up in the tree.  Jonghyun only looked down and saw Minhyun after the squirrel jumped into the branches of a neighboring tree and out of sight.  He stared at Minhyun, in silences for a few moments, and blinked several times before saying:

 

“It’s you again.”

 

“Yes.”  Minhyun confirmed.  “I’m on my way to get more fire wood and look for mushrooms and wild onions.”

 

“I see.”  Jonghyun said.  Without warning, he leaped out of the branches of the oak, falling gracefully through the air to land softly at Minhyun’s feet.   “Follow me.”

 

As he walked behind Jonghyun, Minhyun noticed that the green at the edges of his tunic seemed to be made of moss and the body of it appeared to be bark.  Despite the fact that there was still patches of frost on the forest floor, Jonghyun wore no shoes and walked barefoot.

 

“You’re not human, are you?”  Minhyun asked.

 

Jonghyun stopped for a moment and looked back at Minhyun briefly.  “No.” He said simply, pushing a bud out of his face.  His lips curved up in the ghost of a smile.

 

Once again, Jonghyun took Minhyun into the deep recesses of the forest, where Minhyun was sure he’d never find his way back if he didn’t gave Jonghyun to guide him.  Jonghyun finally halted when they reached a spot at the base of a small hill, where golden sunlight filtered through the budding leaves of the trees above them. 

 

“There are wild onions over there.”  Jonghyun pointed to several clumps of bright green stalks.  “And morels on the slope of the hill.  Please only take what you need.”

 

“Of course.”  Minhyun agreed.

 

“There’s a couple of fallen snags a place not far from here.” Jonghyun continued.  “I’m going to collect wood from there and bring it here to you.”  Jonghyun immediately turned and headed towards the direction he had indicated.

 

“Jonghyun!”  Minhyun called after him.  Jonghyun stopped to look back at him.  “You’ll come back for me, right?”

 

“Of course.”  Jonghyun assured him with a small smile before disappearing into the forest.

 

*

 

Several weeks later, when spring had reached its zenith, Minhyun returned to the forest to look for flowers for his sister’s birthday.  He kept his eye peeled, constantly searching between the trees for Jonghyun.  As time passed and Jonghyun was nowhere in sight, he thought that this time Jonghyun might not appear for him. Just as he was about to give up looking, he spotted Jonghyun kneeling beside a patch of violets at the base of a tree.

 

“Jonghyun!”  Minhyun called out.

 

Jonghyun sprung up swiftly to face him, and Minhyun immediately noticed the vibrant green Jonghyun’s eyes had become.  His tunic was an equally bright leafy green and his hair was a mess of tiny flowers.  Lilacs, cherry blossoms, bluebells, daisies, and a whole host of other brilliantly colored flowers poked out from the now leaf-green stalks of Jonghyun’s hair.   Jonghyun’s skin was rosy pink and seemed to shine a little in the sunlight.  When he met Minhyun’s eyes, Jonghyun smiled wider than Minhyun had ever seen him smile before.

 

“Minhyun!”  He called out in greeting.  “What brings you to the forest today?”

 

“It’s my sister’s birthday.”  Minhyun told him.  “She likes flowers.”

 

“I see.”  Jonghyun said.  “Come with me then.”

 

This time, instead of just walking off into the forest and expecting Minhyun to follow him, Jonghyun grabbed his hand and pulled him after him.  His hand was warm against Minhyun’s and it seemed to buzz with life and energy.  Jonghyun dashed through the forest, forcing Minhyun to sprint as he was pulled along after him.  At their swift pace, it didn’t take long at all for them to arrive at their destination.

 

Minhyun blinked in wonder as he beheld the sunlit meadow.  There must have been every kind of flower imaginable growing there, roses, marigolds, pansies, carnations, lilies, daffodils… When he looked back at Jonghyun he saw that he was beaming. 

 

“Do you like them?”  Jonghyun asked.

 

“It’s… they’re beautiful!”  Minhyun exclaimed.  “Sujin will be very happy.”

 

“Good.”  Jonghyun smiled.  “Please don’t take too many though… the meadow needs them too.”

 

“Of course not.”  Minhyun agreed.  “There’s no way I’d need that many flowers just for one bouquet anyway.”

 

Jonghyun smiled again.  Minhyun had a hard time tearing his eyes away from the brilliance of that smile to start looking for flowers for his sister.  The scenery of the meadow made Minhyun feels at ease as he searched for the right flowers for his sister, and he began to hum softly to himself.  He heard a rustling sound from somewhere else in the meadow.  Curious, he looked up to see what it was.

 

Jonghyun was dancing amid the flowers.  His movements were graceful and spritely, and Minhyun found himself transfixed.  Minhyun heard Jonghyun laugh as he dance, and the sound was like a bubbling brook.  He forgot all about what he had come there for and just watched Jonghyun.

 

Several minutes passed before Jonghyun realized that Minhyun was staring.  He was leaping through the air when his eyes caught Minhyun’s.  The smile across Jonghyun’s face widened.  Minhyun stood still, gaze still fixated on Jonghyun even after he stopped his dance and walked towards him.  When Jonghyun stood in front of him, Minhyun reached up to touch one of the flowers in Jonghyun’s hair.

 

“You’ve bloomed.”  Minhyun commented softly.

 

“When the forest blooms, I bloom too.”  Jonghyun answered grinning broadly. 

 

“It’s… beautiful.”

 

“Thank you.”  Minhyun suddenly realized how close Jonghyun’s face had gotten.  He was about to say something when he felt Jonghyun’s lips brush his cheek.  His flesh seemed to hum with energy where Jonghyun had kissed him.  Then Jonghyun’s lips were on his and the world seemed to spin around him as Jonghyun devoured his mouth, nibbling lightly at his lips and exploring his mouth with his tongue.  Jonghyun’s hands felt hot against him as they gripped Minhyun’s shoulders.  Minhyun had no way of knowing how much time passed- seconds? Minutes? An eternity? Eventually though, Jonghyun let him go. 

 

“Have you found enough flowers for your sister?”  Jonghyun asked. Minhyun only then remember that that had been what he was doing. He glanced at the ground beside him and found the bouquet of lilies he had gathered. 

 

“I… I think so.”  Minhyun said, still winded. 

 

“I suppose I should take you back then.” 

 

Minhyun wanted to object and tell Jonghyun he could keep him in the forest with him forever if he wanted, but once he picked up the bouquet Jonghyun was already grabbing his hand and pulling him back through the forest.  Minhyun’s flesh thrummed with heat at the renewed contact. 

 

Once the path came into the sight Jonghyun slowed down, stopping in the shade of an elm tree.  Minhyun had to catch his breath after running through the forest.

 

“I- thanks again.”  Minhyun said finally.  “I guess this is goodbye for now?”

 

“Wait.”  Jonghyun said.  Minhyun didn’t move, waiting to hear what Jonghyun wanted.  Jonghyun said nothing, but reached up into his hair and plucked a sprig of lilacs.  Jonghyun grabbed Minhyun’s wrist and placed it into his hand.  “For you.” 

 

Minhyun stared down at the plant in his hand.  He was struck by the fact that it wasn’t just a flower, but a piece of Jonghyun.  “Thank you.”  Minhyun said softly.

 

Jonghyun smiled again and leaned forward to brush his lips against Minhyun’s cheek one more time.  When Minhyun blinked, he had vanished.

 

-Summer-

 

Minhyun began to go into the forest more and more frequently.  Instead of waiting for his family’s errands to take him there, he sought out Jonghyun purposelyly.  Jonghyun took him to lush glades in the depth of the trees, to vibrant meadows and secluded hollows.  He introduced Minhyun to his friends, the birds, the squirrels, the deer, and the other animals of the forest. He laid Minhyun down in forest clearings and kissed him deeply.

As spring changed to summer the green of Jonghyun’s eyes deepened.  The petals fell from his hair and the flowers became deep green seed pods.  His skin darkened to a rich chestnut color.   His smile became less invigorating and more calming.  None of his kisses elicited the same intense, unbridled passion that had burned through Minhyun’s flesh the first time Jonghyun had kissed him.   Instead, their kisses and caresses became more relaxed, not as frantic, and even a bit lazy.   Minhyun still found himself craving more and more. 

 

One day in late summer he was laying down in a forest clearing with Jonghyun sitting onto top of him, drinking in Jonghyun’s kisses and caresses when he felt Jonghyun stiffen suddenly and pull back.

 

“What is it?”  Minhyun asked.  Jonghyun’s eyes seemed to be staring at some point far away across the forest, he looked almost worried. 

 

“There’s something I need to attend to.”  Jonghyun said, his voice sounding a little weaker than before.  “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s fine.”  Minhyun said.  “Will you take me back to the path?”

 

Jonghyun nodded and pulled him up.  Walking quickly, he lend Minhyun back to the path in what must have been the most direct way possible.  He didn’t wait for Minhyun to turn around and head back first like he normally did.  As soon as Minhyun said his goodbye, Jonghyun turned and hurried towards another part of the forest.  It was then that Minhyun noticed the gash bleeding golden sap on the back of Jonghyun’s shoulder.

 

When he neared the edge of the forest, Minhyun heard familiar voices and the sound of a saw on wood.  Exiting the woods, Minhyun found the source of the noise: several villagers were felling and clearing out trees from the edge of the forest. 

 

“What’s going on?”  Minhyun asked them.

 

“With so many people moving here from other villages we need space for new houses.”  One of the loggers answered him.  “A blacksmith is coming to town so we’re going to build a forge.  Now we won’t have to rely on trade with other villages for iron work!”

 

-Autumn-

 

As summer faded into autumn Minhyun continued to frequent the forest.   He and Jonghyun began to spend gradually less time kissing and Jonghyun spent more time showing him around the forest.  He gave Minhyun the now-ripe apples, gourds, and roots abundant in the forest to bring back to his family.  The green of Jonghyun’s hair began to fade with the leaves of the trees, turning reds and golds and oranges to match the autumn foliage of the forest.  His eyes gradually changed to a golden brown, and his skin lightened to bronze.   Minhyun was even fascinated by the way Jonghyun changed with the seasons.   He missed the heat of Jonghyun’s kisses and touches, but he had a feeling that they might come back with the flowers next spring. 

 

One day, after Jonghyun had taken Minhyun to dig for potatoes at the far end of the forest, Jonghyun once again plunked something from his head to give to Minhyun as they bid each other farewell.  When he pressed it into Minhyun’s palm Minhyun realized it was a seedpod.

 

“For you.”  Jonghyun told him with a smile.  Minhyun stared down at the seeds in his hand, dumbstruck.

 

“Are-are you sure?” 

 

“I’m sure.”  Jonghyun confirmed.  “Plant them wherever you want once spring comes.”

 

“Thank you.”  Minhyun told him, reaching up to touch one of the golden leaves in Jonghyun’s hair before cupping his cheek. 

 

“They’re yours.”  Jonghyun told him.

 

When Minhyun reached home he carefully wrapped the seedpod up in a handkerchief and stored it safely under his mattress.

*

 

Frantic shouting woke Minhyun in the night.  Suddenly, this father was shaking him awake and shouting for their family to gather their valuables and flee.  Minhyun immediately reached under his mattress for Jonghyun’s seedpod before thinking about anything else.

 

“Fire!”  Minhyun heard someone shout in the distance.  His blood went cold. 

 

“What’s going on?”  Minhyun asked Sujin frantically.

 

“A spark flew off from the forge and caught on a dry branch in the forest.”  Sujin told him, panic in her eyes.  “The fire might devour the entire forest and us with it, we have to get out of the village to safety.”

 

Devour the forest.  Jonghyun’s forest.  Terror pulsed through Minhyun’s body.  He had to get to find Jonghyun.  He had to stop the fire.  Adrenalin coursing through his veins, Minhyun turned towards the direction the flames, intending to rush towards the blaze as fast as he could.

 

“Minhyunie what are you doing!”  He heard his mother scream.  Someone grabbed him from behind.  Minhyun fought as hard as he could but he just couldn’t free of the arms that pulled him away from the flaming woods.

 

*

 

The fire didn’t destroy the village.  Only a few houses were harmed in the blaze.  The forest, however, was completely demolished.  Nothing remained but ash and a few charred trunks. Minhyun wandered through the desolation, searching for any sign of Jonghyun.  He couldn’t let himself believe that Jonghyun was gone.  That possibility was too much for him to bear.

 

Eventually, he came across the charred remains of several giant trees.  Suddenly, he recognized the place as the clearing Jonghyun had taken him the first time he had met Jonghyun in the dead of winter, nearly a year previously.  At first Minhyun only saw charcoal and ashes, but then he noticed a different color in the center of the clearing.  Minhyun knelt to examine what it was.

 

A golden leaf that was very familiar lay among the ashes.  After Minhyun picked it up and looked at it carefully he was almost certain that it had been one of the leaves in Jonghyun’s hair.  He glanced around the clearing, frantically searching for more. All he found was ashes.  Minhyun clutched the leaf to his chest and let out a long wail.  Jonghyun was gone. There was no other explanation

 

-Spring-

 

The winter was long and hard but Minhyun’s village survived it.  Other villages lent them food and supplies so no one died of cold or starvation.  Minhyun rarely left the house.  It was too hard for him to look at the great emptiness that stood where the forest had once been.

 

When the frost began to melt, Minhyun realized what he had to do.  For the first time since after the fire, he ventured into the area which had once been the forest.  He walked for a long time until he found the place.  It was hard to tell after everything had been destroyed, but by the flatness of the ground and the look of the surrounding area, Minhyun thought he had reached what had once been the vibrant meadow where he had seen Jonghyun dance and where Jonghyun had first kissed him.  He walked to the center of the meadow before getting out his spade from his bag and carefully digging a small hole in the ground.  With the utmost care, he pulled the handkerchief out of his pocket, untied it and placed Jonghyun’s seedpod in the hole before covering it gently with dirt.  Afterwards he sat gazing at the spot for some time, wondering if it would work.  Finally, he sighed and gave the piece of ground one last glance to fix it in his memory before standing up and heading home.

 

Light rain began to patter the ground as Minhyun left the meadow.  Minhyun smiled when he felt the water on his cheeks.  Hopefully, the rain would nourish the seeds he had just planted and they would grow.  Then someday, in the distant future, the forest might come back, and with it, Jonghyun.


	2. Epilogue- 70 years later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung cares for the forest with Grandpa Minhyun

Jinyoung wasn’t as wild as his cousin Woojin or as charming as his elder brother Jihoon.  He rarely ran about the village, causing mischief with the other children like they did.  Instead, Jinyoung liked to take care of the forest with Grandpa Minhyun.  Minhyun wasn’t really his grandfather, but his grandmother’s brother, which technically made him Jinyoung’s great uncle, but as Grandpa Minhyun had no children or grandchildren of his own he had told Jinyoung that he could be his honorary grandchild. 

Jinyoung loved to listen to the stories Grandpa Minhyun told about what the forest was like before the great fire in Grandpa Minhyun’s youth.  Grandpa Minhyun told Jinyoung all about the enormous ancient trees, vivid meadows, and dark mysterious hollows that had once existed in the forest near the village.  He even took Jinyoung into the woods that now stood where the forest Grandpa Minhyun had loved so much had been. He showed Jinyoung where the places he described had been before the fire destroyed them. However, Grandpa Minhyun always looked a little sad whenever he took Jinyoung by the places he had loved best had been before they were destroyed. Grandpa Minhyun had watched the woods grow up out of the ashes so he knew his way through them better than he knew his way through their village.  He taught Jinyoung where the wild onions grew, where the most beautiful flowers bloomed in the spring, and when apples where ready to be harvested in the fall, soon Jinyoung was nearly as familiar with the forest as he was. 

 

As Jinyoung grew older the wrinkles in Grandpa Minhyun’s face deepened, his body became frailer and he went with Jinyoung into the woods less and less.  Jinyoung continued to spend most of his time there, love of the forest was something Grandpa Minhyun had passed down to him.  He was always sure to bring something back for Grandpa Minhyun, be it a flower or simply a smooth stone.

 

One day in late summer Jinyoung was picking blackberries on edge of Grandpa Minhyun’s favorite meadow when he heard a bright, clear voice singing alongside the blackbirds in the birch tree nearby.  Apart from himself and Grandpa Minhyun, Jinyoung didn’t think anyone else visited that portion of the woods.  Grandpa Minhyun had been napping when Jinyoung left, and the voice didn’t sound like him anyway.  Jinyoung had no idea who could be singing this deep in the woods.  He looked around but saw no one, finally, only when he glanced upward did he catch sight of a boy sitting on a branch of the birch tree.

 

The boy was very slender and dressed all in green, his feet were bare and his skin was tanned. While a bit unique, Jinyoung could have passed those attributes off as simply belonging to a particularly eccentric individual, however, the boy’s hair was also the same deep green as his tunic, and when Jinyoung stepped closer he saw that his eyes were a similar shade.

 

When the boy noticed Jinyoung below him, he let out a yelp of surprise and slipped off of the branch.  Jinyoung positioned himself to break the boy’s fall, but the boy seemed to regain control of himself in the air and landed on his feet in front of Jinyoung.

 

“Who… What are you?”  The more Jinyoung looked at the boy the more likely it seemed that he wasn’t human. 

 

“I’m Daehwi.”  The boy answered.  “I’m the guardian of this forest.”

 

“I didn’t know forests had guardians.”  Jinyoung said in wonder.

 

“They all do.”  Daehwi answered. “We just don’t usually reveal ourselves to humans.”

 

“Oh.”

 

*

 

Running into Daehwi in the woods became a frequent occurrence for Jinyoung.  He talked to Daehwi more and more and Daehwi showed him secret places in the woods that Jinyoung thought even Grandpa Minhyun might not know about.

 

Daehwi’s eyes gradually turned gold as summer ended, and the foliage of his hair changed color with the leaves of the trees.  When Jinyoung asked him about it he just shrugged and said that was just how he was.  He seemed to become less energetic than when Jinyoung first met him as the weather became colder, which was almost a relief since before it had been hard for Jinyoung to keep up with him at times. 

 

One day, after Jinyoung came home from the woods, Grandpa Minhyun reached up to pick something off of his coat.  When Jinyoung looked he saw that a golden leaf he thought he recognized from Daehwi’s hair was in Grandpa Minhyun’s palm.

 

“Jinyoung… where did you find this?”  Grandpa Minhyun asked Jinyoung, his voice barely more than a whisper.

 

“The forest.”  Jinyoung answered.  For some reason, he didn’t think that he should tell anyone about Daehwi’s existence, not even Grandpa Minhyun.

 

“Is… Is… he back?”   Grandpa Minhyun’s voice shook with urgency as he spoke.  Jinyoung froze.  How could Grandpa Minhyun know?  He had spent a lot of time caring for the forest back when he was healthy enough to move around by himself, maybe he had come across Daehwi then.  Or maybe he was talking about something else entirely, Grandpa Minhyun’s mind had begun to wander recently…

 

“I… I met someone in the forest.”  Jinyoung told him.  “The leaf came from his hair.”

 

Grandpa Minhyun suddenly gripped Jinyoung’s arm.  “Jinyoung… please… you have to take me to him….”

 

*

 

Jinyoung convinced Daehwi to wait for him at the edge of the trees the next day.  Jinyoung helped Grandpa Minhyun walk out of the house and to the edge of the wood, careful not to let the old man trip on a root and slip and fall.  When they entered the trees, Daehwi leaped down from where he had been sitting in the branches of a maple tree.

 

Grandpa Minhyun stared at Daehwi intently as he stood before him, seeming to desperately search for something.  He reached up and touched on of the leaves in Daehwi’s hair, then Jinyoung saw Grandpa Minhyun’s face fall.

 

“You’re not Jonghyun.” 

 

“No.”  Daehwi answered. 

 

“He’s… He’s gone then.”  Grandpa Minhyun said.  Jinyoung saw a tear trickle down his wizened cheek.  “He’s not…. He’s never coming back.”

 

“No.”  Daehwi repeated.  Jinyoung had never seen him look so sad.

 

“Take me back to the house, Jinyoung.”  Grandpa Minhyun told him, turning away from Daehwi.  “I want to sleep.”

 

Two weeks later, at the beginning of winter, Grandpa Minhyun passed away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were expecting a happy ending... you were wrong. 
> 
> Sorry about that...
> 
> I debated over how old to make Minhyun here.... I thought about making this even further into the future and making Jinyoung his great-grandchild.... on the grounds that all those steamy make out sessions with the forest guardian Jonghyun gave him extra vitality or something... but that probably would have been too much.
> 
> Fun fact: I considered attempting to write a smut scene in the first chapter, in which case Daehwi essentially would have been 2hyun's child. I guess you could still say he kind of is even without that though....
> 
> Find me on Tumblr:  
> https://nyoungpeach.tumblr.com/
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/jjr_hyun
> 
> And Curious Cat:  
> https://curiouscat.me/tsubame_go

**Author's Note:**

> I might do an epilogue, I got an idea for something as I was editing this.... 
> 
> thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr: https://nyoungpeach.tumblr.com/
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjr_hyun
> 
> and Curious Cat: https://curiouscat.me/tsubame_go


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